The Arms Of Death
by tinacreeper
Summary: On a routine mission to a new planet, Sam has been captured by an unknown race with unknown intentions. Faced with the possibility of her death, Jack must do everything he can to find and save her. S/J, some team stuff. UPDATED Ch5!
1. Making The Dive

**A/N:** This story is set between late season 7 and season 8. Therefore there are spoilers for the entire series up until season 8.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Stargate, its characters or terminology. However, if Brad Wright is willing to negotiate, I am.

**CHAPTER ONE**

The Stargate was located on a small patch of island, roughly four kilometres from the main entrance to the underwater complex. To enter, one had to first cross the body of water, the air above which prevented any kind of radio signal or machinery to be used (Carter had said something about magnets… ionising… really, he'd found more interest in watching her say the words, than listening to them.), so a speedboat was out of the question. Thus, SG-1 was now slowly rowing their way towards a hidden entrance; into a situation they were not prepared for – SG-1 minus Samantha Carter, to be clear.

She had been one of the first on the small water-planet, and had reported back with such keen excitement that Jack hadn't the heart to say no to her when she asked to return with SG-11. It wasn't that "the atmosphere itself is their power source!" or that "there's something in the water that definitely requires further study," that convinced him to let her return – it was her eyes, and that smile, and that familiar knot in his stomach that formed whenever he really looked at her. Her big blue eyes, shining with hope and anticipation and excitement, accompanied by the sort of smile he only got to see once every few months, when they found something _really_ worthwhile. Who was he to deny the world that smile? So he said yes, with a smile of his own and raised eyebrows when he cooed, "But remember what happened last time we played with magnets," she looked puzzled for a moment, so he clarified, "Actually you don't… Teal'c remembers though, don't you T?" he clapped the Jaffa on the shoulder as he bowed his head in affirmation.

Radio signals being what they were – useless – one member of SG-11 was to remain behind on the island to check in every three hours with the SGC. When nine hours went by, with no communication from the water-planet, Jack was already planning the rescue mission without approval from General Hammond (that was Daniel's job). He reluctantly acquiesced, "If you're not back within twenty-four hours, your identification codes will be locked out of the dialling computer," he said as they walked up the ramp, Teal'c dragging a modestly-sized row boat in his stead, "God speed, SG-1," and they disappeared through the event horizon.

Jack clutched to his P-90 like a lifeline. The uneven rise and fall of the boat was making his stomach churn, and he tried to focus on something in the distance – but all that could be seen was an ominous fog, obstructing their view of anything beyond ten feet.  
But it wasn't the seasickness that was making him cling to his weapon so tightly, and it wasn't the seasickness that was chipping away at the adrenaline of the rescue mission and replacing it with a sickening fear. It was the thought of Carter. Missing. SG-11, missing. Sent out into this fog – into God knows what – with his permission. What condition would they find them in? Find _her_ in… Would she even still be alive? What if someone, or something, had been hurting her this entire time? He tightened his hold on the projectile in his hand, as if threatening anyone who would even think of touching _his_ Carter. His mind wandered back through all of the similar situations they'd found themselves in, but none compared to the unknown of this mission. He always had a plan, known more than he was letting on; he always had a Plan B, even if it was generally the same as Plan A – get in, and get everyone out alive. He always knew something about the situation he was leading his team in to – the layout of the grounds, the enemy, and he was always, even when fraught with fear, confident that he wouldn't leave anyone behind – or maybe it was just adrenaline shrouded in denial. This time, he didn't know one single thing. Except that Carter was missing with SG-11, and that this planet was supposed to be one of those damn science research outpost sites. Not a hostile environment where he would find himself searching for his 2IC, not knowing if she was even alive. He had only ever planned on visiting this world as military escort for the eggheads when they got that urge to expand their field of study. This was certainly not how he wanted his maiden trip to their first water-planet to pan out.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Ahead!" his hand was raised towards a patch of water about fifty metres in their path. If Teal'c hadn't said anything, Jack might not have noticed it at all. Not dissimilar to a rip that you expect to find at the beach, a small section of the water – no larger than the size of their small boat – was turning, choppy, and curving in all directions, as if the current had suddenly forgotten which way it was supposed to be flowing.  
"What do you think?" Jack asked, moving forward past Daniel to get a closer look.

"I don't think we have many other choices," Daniel offered, gathering his gear.  
Jack agreed, as did Teal'c because he too began collecting his various weapons and backpack. Jack, who had not removed his P-90 from his side, remained still, eyes focused on the area of unsettled water, half expecting Carter to spring forth from the depths, declare that she was perfect as ever, and that they were to make their return to Earth. Save for the continuous churning, the area did not stir.

"How're we gonna do this?" Jack called over a sudden roaring, as if they were nearing a waterfall, but the only movement for miles, it seemed, was the small area of upset water.  
"Uhh… I don't think we have to do anything," Daniel said as the front of the boat began dipping down into the water, filling it as they sank lower and lower into the depths. When the water reached Jack, he was surprised to find himself completely dry – as if the dark blue liquid was not really there at all, but an illusion.  
"So I guess we're going in, then," Jack said.  
Quickly, the entire boat was under water. From afar it might have looked as though it was defying gravity – moving downwards, yet always forwards, in a small pocket of discoloured water. Inside, Jack was again surprised, this time that he could breathe. It was as though the patch of disturbed water was the entrance to an under water path of breathable, dry space, untouched by the gallons of ocean surrounding them.  
"This is new," Jack said above the roaring that seemed to be coming from nowhere.  
"Indeed," Teal'c called from the rear of the boat.  
"Where do you suppose it's taking us?" Daniel asked, an air of hope and worry in his voice.  
"Hopefully to Carter," Jack replied quietly.

They remained silent for the remainder of the trip – the path of protected water that they were flowing through seemed to be taking them nowhere at first, but after a while blurry outlines of what could only be buildings began to come into view. Daniel noticed them first, pointing them out to the others and offering a host of possible architectural connections to Earth. The blurry outlines soon came into focus, and large, square buildings became distinguishable. There were hundreds of them, and the way they were all cluttered together reminded Daniel of the islands of Greece, he mentioned. Jack thought they looked more like tiny hospitals. As they neared the boundary, the roaring suddenly ceased and they noticed that their sliver of protection had widened, and was now crawling up into a dome shape around the underwater city. Jack looked up to follow it as it curved, but was distracted by the darkness of the blue above him – they must have been miles beneath the surface. This realization brought him starkly back to the reality of their situation, away from the mesmerizing site of their discovery.

As the boat neared the ocean floor, it began to turn, flowing along the outside of the city, until they noticed an archway in the limestone wall protecting the city from unwelcome visitors.  
"Get ready to jump," Jack said, rising to a crouch, his weapon firmly in his fingers, "On three."

"Can't we just – " Daniel started.  
"Three," Jack ignored him, suddenly jumping out of the boat and landing on dry sand beneath them. Daniel and Teal'c immediately followed, their packs crunching beneath them. As they put them on, Jack darted to the archway, positioning himself right before its entrance, peered into the darkness beyond, and back out again. "I can't see a thing," he whispered, "It's just black," he walked over to Daniel and pulled out three pairs of night vision head sets from his pack, tossing one to each of them.  
One by one they entered the archway: Jack had to stifle a cry of pain as he was immediately blinded by white light. Ripping off the head set, it took his eyes several moments to adjust to the well lit room.  
"It must have sensed we were here," Daniel mentioned, stowing the night vision sets back in his pack. Jack grunted, and motioned with his hands to direct his two teammates into flanking positions, as they began to search the room.

It was enormous; there were hundreds and hundreds of small canoe-like boats, lined above each other in rows of seven, creating deep channels that disappeared beyond their line of site. They seemed to be suspended in mid-air by the same mysterious force that brought their own boat into this place.  
They walked along the rows, which would break every twenty or so into more channels, branching out in different directions, weapons raised and senses alert.  
After several minutes of walking, it was clear that a central channel had formed among the masses of boats, and a second archway sat welcomingly at its end.

The doorway was again blocked by darkness; they had no choice but to step through and accept what was waiting for them on the other side. They were once again accosted by light; this time was considerably less painful as they weren't wearing their head sets.

They were standing in the entranceway of a large, majestic hall – golden light seemed to be emitting from large columns that were spread thinly throughout the hall. There were enormous portraits of elaborately dressed men, each a little more decadent than the last, plastered on the walls, and as they neared the centre, there was a large marble fountain, with a sliver of shimmering light rising right up, through the ceiling and beyond, water danced happily as it fell from various levels – originating from what, Jack now realized, was actually a sliver of water from outside its dome of protection.

As they pressed on, Jack suddenly stopped in his tracks, raised a fist and the other two followed his lead. In the far corner of the hall, a man dressed in heavy maroon robes suddenly emerged from an oak door. Jack motioned for them to move behind the fountain, and he peered over the edge, receiving sprays of water in his eyes as it splashed onto the surface. The man was clearly in a hurry, talking quickly and unintelligibly to himself, as he scurried toward them – not noticing his company. As he neared, Jack could make out small sections of his monologue, "…horrible… first encounter... another world… execution… if I've said it once…" and just as suddenly as he had appeared, he disappeared beyond a door on the side of the hall.  
They emerged from the fountain, looking aghast at one another.  
"You don't think…" Daniel began.  
"I don't know but I'm not waiting around to find out," Jack lead them onwards, towards the door that the man had appeared from.

Just what _had_ the man been talking about? Jack's stomach had jumped up to his throat when he'd heard 'execution' sprout from his mouth. Somehow, he knew Carter and SG-11 were in far more trouble than they'd anticipated. Jack silently regretted dismissing General Hammond's push for them to bring along SG-3 as back up.

He'd seen Carter face death before, faced it with her countless times, but there were few times he actually believed they were going to die. He remembered Carter's hopelessness over the radio as she told him, "It's an ice planet," and even after all the memory loss that the pain and cold had caused, he remembered with a twinge in his stomach her vulnerability as she allowed herself to break down the walls that the regulations had put up, and curl into his side. And he'd seen the helplessness in her eyes as her attempt to blow up one of Anubis's drones had failed, and it marched on to her position. She'd given up then, too. That was barely six months ago. He couldn't protect her then, and he had failed again. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but it was that innate protectiveness of her that fooled him into thinking that she was his. He felt that surge of primal fear and something else, when she was cowering over Martouf's lifeless body, cheeks stained wet, again when Nirrti had experimented on her beautiful DNA, and again when he heard her humming in the elevator over her knight in shining armour. No, she wasn't his. She wasn't anybody's, even with an impending wedding, he knew she didn't belong to anybody, and that gave him more hope than anything else. She was a free spirit, bound only by her unwavering love for science and, he hoped, the Stargate. As long as she was a member of SG-1, she was his – even if only by rank and regulation. He needed to have some part of her that belonged to him, that despite her personal life outside the SGC, could always remind her of him, and vice versa. He needed a constant connection to her. Often, he didn't know why, but it was more than apparent, to Teal'c at least, throughout the days she was missing on board the Prometheus. She was his constant thread to reality and sanity, and the thought of her living a life (or ending one), where he did not exist, crushed him. His chest ached with fear and anticipation of the unknown that lay beyond the door in front of him. If she was truly to be executed, if she already had been, he felt sure that he would know... instinctively, subconsciously... he was sure that he would feel part of his soul die with her. Surely, the Galaxy owed him that much.

He reached the hand not holding his P-90 to the door handle, and slowly opened the door.

_TBC..._

**A/N:** Reviews are greatly appreciated! =)


	2. Broken Bones

**A/N:** Thank you all for such enthusiastic reviews!

**CHAPTER TWO**** – Broken Bones******

_Hands pulled at her clothes, groped her arms, breasts, body, ripping at her and defiling her. She was naked and cold, surprised that she had taken a moment to silently thank her captors for not raping her… yet. More hands grabbed at her arms, and she was moving now, her feet dragging along a stone floor. Then she was on a cold floor, thrown down like a rag doll, pushed up against a wall. She recoiled as hands ran through her hair. Someone forced her mouth open, and poured hot liquid down her throat. She coughed and spluttered and protested the foul-tasting concoction, the hands hit her across her face, sending her to the ground. Hands and feet kicked and beat her, and all she could do was lay there, praying, hoping… the final blow to her ribs caused her to cry out in pain – she definitely heard something break. Suddenly, she could see. The blackness was lifted as her blindfold was removed. The swirling faces of men came into view, standing over her, expressionless. She began to feel nauseous as the potion started affecting her. The men's faces smiled, swirling and twisting, the room was spinning and she was sure that she was upside down. She tried to stand, found her arms useless and then laughs rang out around the stone room. Her eyelids drooped, she couldn't hold her head anymore, and collapsed to the floor. Unconsciousness came as a relief._

They emerged at the foot of a staircase, ascending to yet another archway. Weapons poised, the trio quickly made for entranceway. They stepped out into a courtyard; hundreds of people packed the small stone square – laughing and jeering at something at its centre. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c pushed their way through the crowd, many of the natives gasping at the site of them. The mob formed a circle around their subject of interest, and as they surfaced from their suffocating heckles, Jack almost fell to his knees at the sight before them.  
Tied with her hands above her head, Carter was dangling several feet above the ground, hanging only by her red-raw wrists attached to a wooden suspension beam. They had stripped her of her SGC uniform, now clad only in bra and panties, and there were bruises covering much of her arms, thighs and core. Her head hung limply on her chest, and so visibly weak that she barely even lifted it an inch to register her surprise and relief at the site of her teammates. In fact, the only sign that she had noticed them at all were the few tears falling onto her chest.  
Jack wanted to cry, scream, murder every single person laying their eyes on her, and massacre the entire race of inhumane bastards. Fire surged through his veins, and he had to ball his fists to keep his body from exploding with fury. He let his P-90 fall to his side as he rushed to untie her and somehow save her from the trauma of whatever abuse had been inflicted upon his 2IC. The crowd had fallen silent and backed away from the newcomers, more out of curiosity and eagerness than fear.

"Teal'c," Jack choked out, and the Jaffa was at his side immediately. Together they hoisted Carter up, taking the pressure off of her wrists, Jack backed away and raised his weapon, carefully taking aim, and fired one shot at the ropes binding her. She fell in a heap into Teal'c's arms, and he gently lowered her to the ground. Daniel rushed forward, taking off his jacket and covering her. Jack knelt beside her, and whispered urgently.  
"Carter, I need to know, SG-11?" He fought back tears as he watched her blue eyes, lifeless and without that sparkle he so loved, blink slowly; he watched her slowly draw her knees up to her chest, drawing Daniel's jacket tightly around her; he wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms – but there would be time for comforting later. "Carter," he pressed, his eyes gentle but serious.  
She looked up at him, tears swelling in her eyes, "Dead," she whispered.

Jack stood and looked around at the crowd. It was then he noticed that they were all men – he could not see a single woman. He wondered if they even had women on this planet, and with a sickening realization he looked down at Carter, and back to the crowd's eager faces.

"Who's in charge?" he barked at them. They remained still, leering and trying to get a view of Carter. "Who considers yourself a leader?" he demanded again.  
The crowd began to part, and a tall, fat man, dressed in thick, purple robes and decorated in dozens of jewels, rings, and necklaces, emerged. He walked proudly toward them, smug with an air of fury about him. He glared down at Carter, and then said to Jack, "I am Chancellor Rubin. And that is my woman."  
Jack grabbed him by the collar, but couldn't hoist him off the ground due to his enormous size, "_Who the hell do you think you are_?" he spat, his eyes wide and rage coming from every pour in his body. Suddenly, he pulled his sidearm and pushed it into the man's neck.  
"Jack!" Daniel rushed to intervene, "Jack, I know. Don't you think we should find out why – "  
"I think it's fairly obvious _why_, Daniel," Jack did not remove his eyes from the belligerent man before him.  
"Jack, there's no way we could make it out of here."  
At least two-dozen armed men had formed a circle around them. Slowly and reluctantly, Jack released the Chancellor, and took a step back.  
"Men," Rubin nodded to the guards. They marched forwards, disarming Jack, Daniel and Teal'c. "Take them away."  
Jack shrugged off the hands that grabbed at him, grunting about being capable of walking on his own. He knelt down beside Carter, pulling her arm around his neck, sliding his around her waist - careful to keep her covered with the jacket. He could feel her shivering.

The guards escorted them out of the courtyard, down several flights of stairs – they must have been well below the ocean floor at this point – and led them through a thick, solid door that was bolted several times. Before them lay a long, dark, cold corridor with twelve heavy doors on either side. They were led down to the very last door on the left hand side, and forced inside. The cell was small, a tiny square window several feet above them provided the only light, and there were no seats or benches to speak of. As the guards slammed and bolted the door shut behind them, Jack shouted for information – but they stalked off down the corridor.

Carter was sitting on the floor, leaning against the furthest wall from the door. Jack looked at Teal'c and Daniel, "Find a way out of here," he ordered angrily, and they began studying, prodding and pushing the door to no avail. Jack hesitantly walked over to Carter and sat beside her.  
"They gave me something," she said quietly, without looking at him.  
Thankful that he didn't have to initiate conversation, and that she was actually able to talk to him, he glanced at her.  
"A hot liquid, or something. I was blindfolded," she spoke in a soft monotone, reluctant to recount what exactly had happened, but feeling an intense need to be close to somebody, for somebody to understand what had happened. She felt ashamed, used, dirty, and as though her own body was a mistake. "It made me sick… dizzy, weak," she continued and her voice quietened, "They beat me."

He felt that surge of fury he'd tried to suppress earlier, felt a desperate need to protect and comfort her… making everything go away and undo everything that had happened.

"Women are only used for breeding here… I was supposed to be bought by one of the men out there. They didn't want to breed with me… I was just to be killed for being useless," her voice was so quiet now that Jack had to watch her lips move to be sure that she was really saying the words, "I'm not from here, after all."  
Jack didn't know which was more degrading: being paraded around in front of hundreds of men to be sold off for killing-rights, or not even being _worth_ rape and torture. "SG-11?" he asked quietly, keeping the conversation between them as Daniel and Teal'c sat on the opposite wall.  
"I guess they thought I was theirs, or something. They were a threat," she hung her head, Jack knew she was blaming herself for their death and their current incarceration.

Not sure what to do, what would be too invasive or uncomfortable for her, Jack placed his hand on hers, curling his fingers into her palm and giving it a light squeeze. The smallest of smiles flashed across her face and she gave a gentle squeeze in return. He let his hand stay there, resting intertwined with hers on her left thigh, for quite a while.

He was suddenly very resentful of her, how she allowed him to look at her and touch her, all the while still with Pete. An ache in his chest pounded, angry that he'd let his thoughts stray away from the situation, and he slowly removed his hand from hers.  
He didn't see the disappointment in her eyes.

_TBC_…

**A/N: **Thanks for reading!Reviews are greatly appreciated! =)


	3. The Collapse

**A/N: **Thank you, again, for your warm and positive reviews! I'm trying to update every second day or so, but bare with me. In case anyone is wondering, italics at the start of chapters are Sam's memories/thoughts.

**CHAPTER THREE**** – The Collapse**

_Her wrists we breaking, snapping her hands clean off them under her own weight, she was sure. She lifted her eyes to look at the men circling her, their faces dripping with greed and malice, eyes raping her naked and battered body. She was going to be sick, physically sick, each time one of them stepped forward to run his hands along her thighs. One of them, one she couldn't see, declared, "Sold! Congratulations, Chancellor," she shut her eyes against the malevolent cheering from the crowd. She felt her stomach muscles clench, the need to scream roaring within her; scream until she could not scream any longer, until every fiber of her being disintegrated under the vibrations.  
Suddenly, she couldn't hear. Daring to open her eyes, she noticed that the crowd had fallen silent, and then she saw him – Jack, followed by Daniel and Teal'c, rushing towards her. She was suddenly and acutely aware that she was almost naked, and tried to will herself invisible.  
Regret and shame swelled from the pit of her stomach; she could not believe that _he_ was seeing her like this, so exposed, broken, and vulnerable. It wasn't like she hadn't shared vulnerable moments with him before; she remembered with great sadness the day that Janet had died just a few months ago, and the intimacy she'd felt when he took her in his arms in the infirmary. No, this was a different kind of vulnerable. She didn't want him to remember her as his weak, hung up to dry, 2IC. If he was ever going to see her in her underwear, well… it wouldn't be like this. She welcomed the protective arms of Teal'c, and even more so Daniel's jacket.  
Too weak to stem the tears falling, she allowed them to flow freely. Was it the exploitation she'd endured that had her hiding her face from her teammates? Was it the look of terror and anger on Jack's face? Was it the ache in her chest, of regrets and missed opportunities, finally coming to the forefront as she had been stripped of her soldier exterior to reveal the woman beneath? Was it an overwhelming combination of everything? She thought of Pete, and wished it was him rescuing her. She could handle him seeing her this way, but Jack… he was touching her, pulling her up and his hand was on her waist – he kept her covered, and she tried to stop a fresh wave of tears._

He felt guilty watching her sleep. Quietly, he rejoiced in it. Her head was relaxed against the adjacent wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms folded against the chill of the stone cell. His eyes followed her hair as strands fell across her eyes, stress lines were less prominent and he wanted to touch those around her mouth; he closed his eyes briefly to remember the sound of her laugh.  
"Carter," he said quietly. Even more than watching her, he felt a tremendous amount of guilt in waking her and bringing her back to reality. "Carter," he said again when she did not stir. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle nudge. She woke with a start, searching his eyes curiously, momentarily forgetting where she was and why he was waking her up. Realization dawning on her, her eyes softened and she sat up straight, humming a brief note of acknowledgment.  
"They've taken Teal'c," Daniel said dryly from the opposite wall, not looking at either of them. Carter's eyes widened in shock, and she looked to Jack for the truth; he nodded, fear and guilt evident in his eyes as he found interest in a spot of wall just beside her head.  
"How long was I out?" She asked, her need to change the subject obvious.  
"About twelve hours," Jack said, finally relieved to have something other than imminent torture and death to talk about. "We've missed our check-in with Hammond," he added.  
"On our own now," Daniel said to no one in particular.  
Jack shifted against his patch of wall, glancing at Carter. Her eyes were out of focus, still leaning in the corner of the cell. She'd zipped Daniel's jacket up so that it was now more of an oversized night shirt, and every so often Jack couldn't help but notice a pair of legs he'd never seen before. Legs he'd always hope to see. Legs, now that he was aware of their existence, he wished he could look at forever. He shifted a fraction closer to her.  
"You okay?" he asked quietly. She moved her eyes in his general direction, but remained quite still. He watched her breathe slowly, her eyes closed for a moment before opening them again.  
"Yeah, sir," she smiled briefly, falsely, "Fine."  
He shifted closer to her again, hesitating as he felt her breathing still, and placed his hand on her arm, "Sam," he said knowingly, begging her to talk, to let him in, to not let this experience destroy her.  
She looked down at his hand on her arm, then to his eyes. Hers were moist, filling to the brim; she placed her opposite hand on his, running circles with her thumb. He watched her eyes, searching for answers, for unspoken words. His chest was tingling at the sensation of her fingers running along his hand. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again.

Suddenly, an unmistakable cry of pain filled the cell. It echoed down the corridor from an unseen cell and filtered into theirs, bouncing off the walls.  
"Teal'c!" Daniel shouted, standing and pounding on the door, "Teal'c!"  
Another scream shattered their senses, Jack joined Daniel at the door, pounding as hard as he could on the hard wood. Carter was standing, her hands to her mouth.  
"TEAL'C!" Jack roared, "DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM YOU SON'S OF BITCHES!"  
Daniel collapsed against the door, eyes straining against tears. He hit the door with his elbows, "Teal'c!" he shouted one more time.  
Jack continued pounding against the door, yelling threats and heinous remarks about their captors' mother.  
"Colonel!" Carter shouted, suddenly finding her voice and understanding the need for calm.  
Jack stopped, his head resting against the wood, panting heavily. He hit the door once more, before storming back to the wall he and Carter silently designated theirs, and sat on his heels. He buried his head in his hands as further screams echoed around their cell.  
Carter sat next to Daniel, placing an arm around his shoulders as he shook with sobs that refused to transform into tears. Jack watched them, his eyes fluttered around the cell hopelessly looking for means of escape, searching for answers to ease his guilt and justify his colossal failure. He watched his teammates comfort each other as another was being tortured just a few cells down. Tears burned in his eyes, but he shoved them down far, far away, where things like the truths Zanex detectors revealed were hidden.

He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His jacket was rolled into a ball underneath his head, and the cold was now seeping into his skin, causing millions of tiny bumps to sprout along his arms. He didn't know when the screaming had stopped, but in its stead was a lifeless silence perhaps even more painful than the cries of pain. At least then he'd known that Teal'c was still alive. Now all he could hear were his own thoughts, and he swore that Daniel was breathing _that_ loudly on purpose. Carter was pacing, he could hear the soft brush of her feet on the stone floor, and had it been any other situation, he might have found it endearing, but now he was irritated beyond belief. Just as he sat up to berate his teammates for being so infuriating, they heard a _chink _and then a _clunk_ from the door. Daniel scurried away, he and Jack taking positions on either side of the door. As it slowly opened, Jack jumped the guard first – punching him across the face and kneeing him in his gut. The guard doubled over and fell to the floor as a second guard was bowled over by Daniel, who seemed to abandon his limited training and adopt a more animalistic approach. As Jack moved to disarm the first guard, he felt a sudden excruciating pain along his spine and his muscles seized, he fell to the floor and writhed in pain. It was as though hundreds of white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, burning holes through the flesh and contorting his muscles and bones. Suddenly, it eased and he relaxed onto the stone. Stars and green blotches clouded his vision; he could hear Carter protesting, Daniel crying out, and then footsteps approaching. Hands picked him up off the ground, and he was dragged from the room. He heard the cries of Carter and Daniel fade away, the door bolting shut, and soon he was thrown onto another stone floor just as his vision started to return.  
He lay limply on the ground, and it took him a moment to register just what had happened, and the sight before him: Teal'c was on his side, his blank eyes staring at him, clearly, unmistakably, dead.

_TBC…_

**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated. From here on out, the timeline starts to get a little fuzzy. I've tried to base it between seasons 7 and 8, but in the next few chapters I'm going to merge them together in my own world.


	4. Mistaken Identity

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. Life, you know? In this chapter, the line between season 7 and 8 has been blurred, so lets, for the sake of this story, pretend that "Threads" has already happened.  
Sorry about the formatting problems, something strange must've happened when I uploaded it. :/

**Chapter Four**** – Mistaken Identity**

Sam felt suddenly cold in the Colonel's absence. Overcome with grief and shock, she kicked the wooden door with her bare foot, and pushed at it – willing it to fall from its hinges and to run to him and Teal'c, finding them both alive and uninjured, and for everything to go back to how it was before she even stepped foot on the godforsaken planet.

Daniel grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her to the floor, rubbing his hand up and down her shoulder comfortingly.

"They're knocking us off one by one," she whispered, strained with the pain of her throbbing foot and the tears that wouldn't come.

"Sam…" Daniel began, inclining his head to look into her eyes.

"Daniel! First Teal'c now J-the Colonel!" her eyes began to moisten as she held his gaze, trying to make him understand just how terrified she was, "I know what they do to you in here." She looked away, wiping her eyes ambiguously.

***

Sam had taken her place on the wall she shared with Jack. Daniel was sitting opposite her, on the wall with the door, glancing up at her furtively. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, but simply shook his head and studied the floor once more.

On one of these occasions, Sam caught him, "Daniel," she encouraged, only slightly irritated with the archaeologist.

"What happened? Before we came. You know, in here," he thought she deserved the respect and human connection of maintaining eye contact with her, despite his level of thorough insecurity.

"What?" she asked shocked by his boldness.

"Sam," he said softly, "I know it can't have been easy…"

"Can we not talk about this?" she said sternly, annoyed and glaring at him.

Daniel looked at her for a long time, trying to read her thoughts, her body language; capture some sort of idea of where she was. Resigning to the topic of conversation's fate, he asked, "How's Pete?"

Her head snapped up at him, and he caught a flash of malice across her eyes but it vanished instantly, "Can we not talk about that either?" her voice was calm, yet serious.  
Daniel hung his head, and began fiddling with the hem of his pants. Sam rested her head against the wall, her eyes up at the ceiling, wondering why she had not heard the Colonel's screams.

***

_"I just wish I knew this had something to do with your father," Pete stated, squinting into the setting sun. "Was it the house? Was it too much?"_

"_No, Pete, the house is beautiful," Sam tried to keep her emotions in check, fiddling with the engagement ring absent-mindedly as she watched the broken man next to her. She lowered her gaze, did he not care for her as much as she assumed? She expected him to rage, scream, demand excuses and satisfactory explanations. But the man before her sat quiet, unmoving, and destroyed._

"_What?" he said after she didn't speak for a while._

"_Nothing… I just thought you'd react differently."_

_He snapped at her then, "You want me to beg, Sam?"_

"_Oh god, no!" she reached a hand to place on his shoulder, he recoiled._

"_Goodbye, Sam," he said through strangled tears. He stood and marched to the "For Sale" sign at the front of the lawn that was supposed to be theirs. In a swift movement fraught with meaning, he ripped the "Sold" sticker off and let it fall to the ground, Sam watched, heartbroken, as it settled into the beautifully green grass._

Jack closed his eyes against the pounding in his head and the throbbing throughout his entire body. He did not want to reopen them. He did not want to see the sight before him, see Teal'c's motionless body, and accept that one of his best friends was…

Hands wrenched him forwards, and his eyes snapped open. Two guards lifted him into a chair in the centre of the room and bound his hands tightly behind his back, so tightly that the rope cut into the flesh around his wrists.

"Your friend isn't dead," a voice behind him spoke. Jack glanced involuntarily at the lifeless body beside him.

"Could've fooled me," Jack said as a man stalked into view, smiling down at him malevolently.

"He will be, shortly," the man said, now pacing back and forth along the length of the room,

"Provided the antidote isn't administered within three to six hours." The man toyed with something in his pocket.

"Antidote?" Jack glanced from the man clearly superior to the guards in the room, to Teal'c, and back, "What are you talking about?"

"We gave him a lethal dose of our Master's favourite cocktail for intruders. The woman you tried to steal could tell you."

Jack's senses suddenly flared, fear and realization burned to the surface and he struggled against the ropes binding him, they cut further into his skin.

The man laughed and waved his hand, "Do not bother, it was merely enough to subdue her," his eyes were full of malice and greed. Jack visibly relaxed, relief and yet anger at these people flooded through him.

"What do you want?" Jack spat.

"We? Want nothing. It is you who have so clearly demonstrated _your _want here. But I'm afraid, Colonel, that that woman belongs to the Chancellor."

Jack fought against his bindings, his fists wanted to destroy the man pacing nonchalantly before him. How dare he speak about Carter as some sort of possession.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill," the man said.

"You have me confused with someone else," Jack said through gritted teeth.

"That is what your… neckwear… says," he lifted Jack's dog tags out of his pocket, he dangled them in front of Jack before snatching them up again and returning them to his pocket. "All we ask, Colonel, is that you give us the information your friend here did not," he gestured to Teal'c, "So we thought we'd offer you a little incentive. Tell us what we want to know, or your friend dies." Jack inhaled deeply, wincing at the pain thudding up his arms from his wrists. The man suddenly leaned forward over him, his hands either side of Jack on the armrests, "Tell me what the situation of the Shakkai is? Tell me of their defence perimeter? Plans, inventory, details! Are they preparing to strike?"

Jack was baffled. Shakkai? Defence perimeter? His mouth opened and closed dumbly and he tried not to look this man, steaming and fuming with demands so that he was visibly shaking, in the eye. "I can honestly say, that I have absolutely no idea what you're on about," Jack said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

The man stood straight, and then raised a hand and Jack had no choice but to bear the full brunt of the blow. He could feel blood pooling in his mouth, he swirled his tongue to find the source and felt a deep gash on his bottom lip. He then noticed that there were several rings on the man's striking hand.

"Where do the Shakkai make their escape? They have thwarted our efforts each time!"

Jack just stared at him, shaking his head. Once again, the man raised a hand, and brought it down upon Jack with twice the force as his previous blow. And followed it immediately with a second punch, this time to his stomach. Jack hung limply for a moment, pulled himself upright, and spat blood onto the floor.

"Your friend was eager for a beating also," the man said, "He was not so fortunate. But the agony that our Master's concoction induces is quite excruciating. You will not be so lucky." He nodded to the guards and they ripped the chair out from under Jack, he anticipated it and leaned his head into his chest to prevent it from cracking on the stone floor. The men threw the chair to the side, he heard it crumple under the force, and one by one they took turns kicking his ribs, his head, his stomach. Jack was lurched and spun and thrown around the cell, bleeding from his head, arms and his torso. He was sure one of his shoulders had dislocated from still being tied behind his back. As one of the guards drew a long, silver instrument from his belt, the superior man held up his hand.

"Stop," he said, crouching on his heels next to Jack, "We know of the Shakkai Rebellion, how they attempt to overthrow our regime. Don't you see, Colonel, you are at a loss."  
Jack fought tears and the instinct to cry out; the pain in his ribs and shoulder was so severe. He allowed blood to spill from his lips and onto the floor beneath him, panting heavily and closing his eyes against the throbbing in his body.

"We're not…" he said through shuddering breaths, "from… this… damn it to hell… We're not from this place you call Shakkai, or whatever!" He raised his voice; using what energy he had to make a stand.

The man stood, folding his arms, shaking his head, "Oh Colonel. How I'd hoped you'd be more

forthcoming. Perhaps I will have better luck with the lesser in your group," he nodded again to the two guards, "Take him away."

And he was moving again. His body was screaming in pain, stretched out as they dragged him by his arms, suddenly free from their constraints – shoulder definitely dislocated – and his feet dragged along the cold stone floor. His ribs and left shoulder protested so violently, he thought he might pass out from the pain; he prayed he would. His eyes rolled into his eyelids and his head lolled on his chest, blood spreading over his shirt and darkening the black with a sickening deep maroon. He heard a door unlatch and creak open, shuffling footsteps and gasps, and he was thrust inside. He braced himself for the fall, but he was caught instead, but strong arms – stronger than he would have expected when he opened his eyes to see Daniel lowering him to the ground, and Carter rushing to his side, tears evident in her eyes.

He heard the door swing closed and lock, and felt warmth flood through him as Carter checked his wounds, one hand touching the side of his cheek, the other running through his hair. He doubled over as she prodded his shoulder, noting it's sizeable swell and purple colour. He'd sat up, unable to hold his own head – he leaned forward onto Carter. He felt her arms steady him, one hand slowly, caressingly, made its way up his injured arm, and he wished beyond anything that his nose wasn't broken so that he could breathe her in as his forehead leaned against the crook of her neck. Suddenly, the pain increased tenfold, he cried out, heard a crack, and then it vanished. Though not completely, he was grateful for the respite. He leaned back again, her hands supporting him, his arms cradled around his waist.

"Sir, may I?" She asked respectfully, tugging at the hem of his shirt. He acquiesced, moving his arms to his side, and allowed her to lift his shirt so that she could inspect his ribs. And there it was – a sensation he never thought he'd experience, even through the pain, he could feel it. At her soft touch to his skin, he could feel his stomach doing back flips, blood rushing to his head, tingling all over. He tried not to recoil beneath her, the sensation too immense for the situation. She must have noticed, or thought she was causing him pain, because she immediately increased her pressure, and now there was just pain – lots of pain. He groaned, tried grabbing her hands away from his torso, but she insisted.

"Sorry, sir, but they're definitely broken," she said.

"I could've told you that," Jack returned as she lowered his shirt and helped him move to their wall.

"What happened, Jack?" Daniel asked, "Where's Teal'c?"

The memories of his interrogation came flooding back to him in an instant, and he frowned against them. He told them of the potion they'd given to Teal'c, reassured Carter that she was in no danger, and proceeded to tell them that they'd been mistaken for 'Shakkai Rebels'. Daniel tried questioning him further, wanting more information about the Shakkai, but Jack shook his head as best he could from his lying position, and merely said, "Later, Daniel." Looking crestfallen, but understanding, Daniel took his seat on the opposite wall.

Sam had been pacing during the exchange, and he saw her out of his peripheral vision as she stopped, looked uncertain, bringing a hand to her mouth, and then watched as she took a deep breath, and moved to sit at his head, placing two hands beneath his head and lifting, she shuffled across and then lowered his head onto her thigh. He made eye contact with her briefly, reassuring the uncertainty in her eyes. As her thumb stroked his forehead softly, bringing her hand down to run through his hair, her other hand wound its way into the space between his torso and his upper arm, he allowed himself to be lost in the intimacy of it, forgetting the secrets and lies and hidden agendas, forgetting their ranks and allowing his pain to be taken away by her touch.

**A/N: **Again, sorry about the formatting problems – I hope everything is normal now.


	5. Truths And The Second Advisor

_**A/N:**__ Thank you everyone who has stuck with the story despite how long it's been taking me to update. Just so we all remember: this is based in season 7, but season 8's "Threads" and the Pete arc has already happened/been established._

**CHAPTER FIVE** – **Truths And The Second Advisor**

Jack watched as Daniel's chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. He studied the archaeologist's glasses, lying at an angle across his nose, giving him a sort of fish-eye appearance if Jack looked too closely. His eyes flickered beneath their lids as Daniel dreamed away, his subconscious blissfully unaware of their dire circumstances, lost in a world of wonder, protected from the horrors of reality. Jack was grateful for Daniel's continuing resolve and determination that they were going to be okay, and his continued fascination with the locals. If Jack hadn't been so irritated with him most of the time, he was sure he might have slipped his grasp onto sanity.  
He was even more impressed with Carter, but gratitude could not replace his unwavering concern and desire to comfort and protect her. He wondered if she noticed how his breathing slowed and his eyes began to close as she softly caressed his hair. How could he not be taken by her strength? After all she had been through, to still care more about his wellbeing (he mused and suddenly became acutely aware of her hand gripping his upper arm), for Teal'c and Daniel, and to not break, not even for a moment. In all honesty it scared him. Her soldier exterior was beginning to wane on him, and he found himself increasingly worried about the woman beneath.

He sat up, grimacing against the pain in his ribs; he could feel Carter's hand on his back, supporting him. He sat close to her, careful not to brush right up against her, but close enough so that the material of his BDU pants was lightly skimming across the side of her thigh.  
Daniel suddenly made an incoherent grumbling sound, rolled over, and settled peacefully into the stone wall. Jack glanced at Carter; her eyes were exhausted and several times he caught them stay closed for several long seconds, before snapping open against their own will.

"Get some sleep," he said quietly as to not wake Daniel. She found his eyes momentarily, offering a half-smile. She ran a hand through her hair and Jack marveled at how, even now – bruised and battered, worn out and defeated – she could still be the most beautiful person he had ever seen.  
"Can't sir," she said, matching his volume. When his gaze questioned her further, she responded, "Teal'c, you know," he did know. He also knew when she wasn't telling him the entire truth.  
"Carter," he said. When she didn't look at him, he decided to push some buttons. "This is your first mission since your dad –"  
"And it was supposed to be a routine bag and tag," her eyes were on her knees, drawn up to her chest and her arms draping over them. He watched her breathe slowly, trying to keep her emotions under control. He wanted her to talk to him, to show him that trust that they rarely shared. He wanted to reach up and cup her cheek, turning her to look at him, and let her know that _it was okay_, even if it wasn't. "I just feel like I'm being reckless, you know? I feel like I'm supposed to feel… alive, full of reverence for life… honor him like that… I think I'm disappointing him," and at his look, "It's stupid, I know," again she offered a small smile, trying an expression of feigned relief on for size.  
Across from them, Daniel stirred, "Stop, I don't want the bananas!" he mumbled. Carter smiled genuinely, dipping her head in amusement. Jack reached his hand to hers, gently pulling it down to rest between them. He smiled inwardly as her fingers responded, intertwining with his and holding him firmly. He returned the pressure, drawing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. They both watched their hands, relishing in the feel of each other.  
"You could never disappoint anyone," Jack whispered, slightly embarrassed. Carter looked at him, their eyes searching each other for answers and saying words that they couldn't. He saw things in her eyes: regret, sadness, _love_, he wanted to believe. He squeezed her hand and turned away from her, sighing.  
"I broke off the engagement," it was so quiet he wasn't completely sure she'd said it. He looked at her – her eyes were on their hands again, looking but not seeing.  
"Carter?" he needed to believe that it wasn't something his mind had said in desperate hope. Her eyes locked onto his, and he knew the truth. Her eyes, so soft and full of commitment and certainty, were wet and shining. "With Pete?" he didn't even know why he asked.  
She let out a sigh, she might have been briefly amused but covered it well, "No, with General Hammond," she looked at him completely serious. He returned the look, shocked momentarily, and despite knowing that she was merely teasing, he was shocked nonetheless. Then, her lips curled upwards, and he released a quiet laugh.  
"Get some sleep," he said again, "That's an order." Smile quickly fading, she lowered her head onto his shoulder, readjusting their intertwined hands but never breaking contact. He felt her physically relax, ignoring the tingling in his stomach, and leaned his head against hers, turning his face into her hair and planting a chaste kiss.

"Jack… Jack!" his eyes snapped open. Daniel was suddenly next to him, hissing urgently in his ear. Jack felt Carter sigh against him, noticing their fingers relaxed into each other. He felt suddenly exposed, and removed his hand from hers, nudging her awake gently. Her eyes opened, and upon seeing Daniel and realizing that something was happening, sat up straight and smoothed her hair.  
"What?" Jack hissed back.  
"You have a visitor," Daniel said, raising his eyebrows toward the door.  
Jack looked at him. He wasn't serious? He looked to Carter, who seemed just as surprised as he was. Slowly, Jack stood and walked slowly to the door, bracing a hand against his ribs as they protested.  
"…Hello?" Jack asked cautiously. Suddenly, a voice seeped through the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door. Jack jumped in surprise.  
"Greetings! Are you Colonel Jack O'Neill?" the voice was urgent, whispering and obviously afraid of getting caught.  
"Speaking," Jack replied, looking around to Daniel and Carter.  
"My name is Pinot, I am second advisor to the Chancellor. I have come to assist you."  
Jack nodded questioningly to his teammates, who shook their heads in confusion. "Assist, you say?"  
"Yes," Pinot whispered, "Your execution has been scheduled for tomorrow morning," Jack heard shuffling feet in the distance, "I must hurry – I have arranged to escort you to the square myself."  
"What about our friend, the large, dark one?" Jack held his breath.  
"He is alive. But also to be executed. He is being held in another area," Jack breathed a heavy sigh of relief, a smile crossing his face momentarily.  
"Why are you doing this? How do we know we can trust you?" There was silence for a moment.  
"The woman they gave me – we had a daughter…" Jack closed his eyes, "When she turned ten years, she was sold to the Chancellor himself…" shuffling footsteps. "Having bore five children, she was worthless. Executed two moons ago," Jack leaned his head against the door. He knew all too well the pain of losing a child. "I must go, I will return before the execution."

Jack turned to the other two. They were both as surprised as he was, each of them still processing what had just happened.  
"I guess we better come up with a plan," Jack said, suddenly energized.

TBC…


End file.
